Blantyre dad thinks sewage pipe made his son and pet ill

Feb 18 2010 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

A BLANTYRE father has claimed the council’s failure to fix a burst sewage pipe at a nearby block of flats has left his baby son and pet dog ill.

Robert Watt (37) contacted the Advertiser last week complaining that the pipe, which had burst just after Christmas, had yet to be fixed.

While the residents of Bruce Terrace wait for it to be repaired by South Lanarkshire Council, he said, they have to deal with human waste spilling over the footpaths.

And the bus driver has even blamed his 18-month-old son Dylan’s recent spell of gastroenteritis on the spillage.

Mr Watt’s three-year-old Collie cross, Jake, also suffered stomach upsets in recent weeks, which he believes is a result of the sewage coming out of the damaged pipe.

He said: “The pipes from the block across the road froze up between Christmas and New Year and caused a blockage.

“One day, I heard hammering outside, so I went out to see the council’s emergency workers working on the blockage.

“One of the workers smashed a hole in the front of it with a hammer to allow the flow, then just left it.

“Since then, I’ve been on the phone to the council umpteen times trying to get it sorted.

“Everytime someone uses the toilet in the flats, the waste gets flushed into the street.

“The council have told me that it is a priority problem and they would sort it immediately.

“They told me that the target date for repair was January 29. But that day came and went, and it wasn’t repaired.

“Then they said they would repair it last week. It wasn’t done then either. It’s disgusting.”

Mr Watt told the Advertiser that the council explained to him that the adverse weather conditions at the time had made it difficult for a team to get out to repair the damage.

However, six weeks after the pipe was burst, Mr Watt said the problem is still ongoing.

He added: “I’m extremely annoyed that the council believe this to be acceptable. My son has just recovered from gastroenteritis and my dog has been throwing up everywhere.

“I find this a bit more than a coincidence.”

Scottish Water had examined the problem this week, and confirmed that it was a council issue.

A spokesman said: “The choke is definitely council property or privately-owned.

“Scottish Water workers found the main trap to be clear, though a council joiner attended to repair a damaged pipe.

“However, the joiner added that he would be contacting a council drainer.”

A spokesman for the council said yesterday (Wednesday): “Following discussion with Scottish Water, we have established the location of the burst. Council workmen will be on site today to rectify the matter.”